Something Good
by Hellowriters
Summary: Something happened that left the son of Poseidon broken and silent. Something is happening on Olympus. Something Aphrodite came up with. Something Apollo agreed to. Something that may be even... good. Something good. Eventual Percy/Apollo.
1. Chapter I

**Something Good**

 **Disclaimer: Rick Riordan owns the rights to the Percy Jackson series.**

 **IMPORTANT NOTE: The Trials of Apollo have never happened in the timeline of this story. Apollo isn't stripped of his godhood. Evil roman emperors aren't a thing. Everything is normal (to a certain extent)!**

 **Chapter I**

* * *

"Percy, please, you'll need to talk to us eventually. You'll have to tell us..."

The son of Poseidon looked at his two friends, took a deep breath, then shook his head. His eyes were empty of emotion, the spark they once held long gone.

Jason and Piper exchanged some brief glances. They were concerned. In fact, everyone was.

"You know we are your friends, right? We can't help you if you won't talk to us," pleaded Piper.

Jason nodded. "We just don't understand, it's been a month. You've got everyone worried over their heads."

"Just think about it, Percy. If you need time for yourself or even if you don't want to talk to us right now for whatever reason, that's okay, we can understand that, but... we need to know. Please, Percy."

"What if she's hurt? I don't understand why you won't tell us..."

His eyes widened for a fraction of a second at the son of Jupiter's insinuation, but he remained silent nonetheless.

Finally, the other two demigods looked defeated. They both sighed and smiled regretfully, turning around and exiting Percy's room. Once they were in the hallway, Sally Jackson appeared in front of them. Her eyes were hopeful, but as soon as she read the others' expressions, any trace of that hopefulness faded away.

She took a shaky breath. "He... He didn't say anything, did he?"

Piper bit her lip guiltily and shook her head. The older woman stared blankly at her and swallowed thickly, then nodded shortly in understanding.

"Don't worry though, Miss Jackson," Jason cut in quickly. "We'll try our best. We'll bring him back to normal."

Sally tried to smile, but found that she couldn't. "It's alright Jason, I know you are doing everything you can."

Her statement sent a wave of guilt through the two demigods. They had tried everything, literally everything they could think of. All of them, the seven, Percy's closest camper friends, Chiron, even his father. Nothing had worked. Percy Jackson hadn't spoken a word in a month. And then there were the other problems as well...

"Um, there is another thing we have to talk to you about..." said the blond, rubbing a hand over his nape.

Sally raised her eyebrows in anticipation.

"There's a... um, there's a problem on Olympus with Athena since— since, you know... Annabeth disappeared."

A hurtful expression flashed on the mortal's face, but she didn't seem surprised. "I... it has already crossed my mind. Tell me, how bad is it?"

"She's angry and upset, she's been arguing with Poseidon a lot. Olympus is kind of on the edge..."

Piper knew it was much worse in reality. The goddess of wisdom had declared war on Poseidon, she had threatened to throw his son back in Tartarus unless he revealed what he knew about the disappearance of her favorite daughter.

The reality was bleak. Everything had happened at once.

 _It was a few months after the Giant War, around Halloween..._

 _The daughter of Aphrodite was returning to Camp Half Blood for a Halloween mini vacation. She was excited to see her friends again, they hadn't seen each others in what felt like forever. Even though she had been going to school with her boyfriend, something she was more than grateful for, Piper missed her friends a lot._

 _The two of them had arrived at Camp on a Friday night, during a capture the flag game. Most of the campers were taking part in it and were playing in the forest, thus Camp looked a bit deserted, but calm nevertheless. That was until a_ _bloodcurdling scream of agony pierced through the woods._

 _"Should we...?" Jason asked concerned._

 _It didn't sound like it was part of the game. Piper nodded in agreement. "Yeah, lets check."_

 _With that said, they rushed through the trees. Some of the campers were running alongside them, apparently also searching for whoever had produced the outcry. After a minute or two of running, they arrived at a clearance in the woods and came to an abrupt stop._

 _In front of them knelt the son of Poseidon. Riptide lay beside him._ _His eyes were locked on the ground in front of him... on some pieces of bronze armor._

 _"Percy?" asked Jason confused._

 _The demigods' eyes snapped up to the one talking. It took him a few moments to register that an entire crowd of campers had gathered around him. Everyone was too stunned to say a word._

 _Piper squinted her eyes. The only light came from the moon, but if she looked more closely... There were dry streaks of tears glistening on Percy's cheeks and he was slightly shaking. Her eyes traveled lower to his hands which were hanging by his_ _sides. His hands, they were covered in a black goo. In horror, the daughter of Aphrodite recognized the goo as blood._

 _"Is that—"_

 _She was interrupted by someone pushing between her and her boyfriend. Chiron now stood tall in his centaur form. The sound of his hooves was dampened by the soft, mushy carpet of fallen leaves that was covering the ground._

 _"Percy." The centaur's voice was calm and soothing, but those who knew him could recognized the worry it held. "What happened?"_

 _When the hero of Olympus didn't answer, Piper felt the centaur tense next to her. She didn't understand._

 _"Percy, tell me, where is Annabeth?" Chiron further inquired._

 _For a moment, the son of the sea god shook more strenuously than before. He didn't say anything though, but he glanced down at the pieces of armor._

Ever since, he hadn't spoken a single word. And even worse and more concerning... no one had seen, nor heard of or from the daughter of Athena. Every single god, demigod and mythical creature had been searching for her. Unfortunately, she was nowhere to be found. Not on earth, not on any ocean, not in the Underworld. It was like she had disappeared from the face of the Earth.

And Percy... Piper didn't even know what to think. His behavior was a surprise to everybody. His mother said that she had never seen him that way. They were all clueless. It was as if the world had come to a halt and it was waiting for Percy.

* * *

§

Olympus was a wreck. Even more so than usual, and that is said considering that the gods had been on a constant war threat for the past decades. This time though... Something was coming. Something more than just a war between Poseidon and Athena, if that wasn't already bad enough on its own. Something that made Apollo shudder to his bones.

The god was strolling through one of Olympus' stunning gardens. A white marble alley stretched far into the distance. Neatly trimmed bushes of golden roses lined its sides. It was Apollo's favorite walk. There were no trees around, therefore no shade. The god could walk along, bathing in sunlight.

Unfortunately, the sky was now heavy with dark clouds. Zeus was angry. A council meeting had just finished. Poseidon and Athena had almost started a fistfight, which was unlike any of them. It had taken six Olympians to stop them. The goddess of wisdom was enraged at the god of the seas and that because of their children. No one knew where Athena's daughter had gone, no one except Poseidon's son, who was apparently keeping his mouth shut.

When the goddess of wisdom had come to ask Apollo if his prophets knew anything, anything at all about her daughter, the god couldn't help but feel guilty. He still hadn't retaken Delphi. It was something on his to do list, but he just kept postponing it... He shook his head. No, fear couldn't be the reason as to why he hadn't faced Python yet. No, he had killed that monster when he was just a newborn god. It couldn't be fear...

"Apollo!"

The voice calling out his name made the god snap out of his thoughts. He turned around and raised an eyebrow at the unexpected presence. The woman who stood before him was of a striking beauty. Her appearance shifted now every second, reminding Apollo of some of his most cherished lovers.

"Aphrodite," he acknowledged. "Do you need anything?"

The goddess of love flashed him a bright smile. She nodded. "I have an idea..."

A frown appeared on the sun god's face. "You do? Regarding what?"

Her smile grew even wider and she shrugged. "How to stop all this."

* * *

§

It was still a mystery to him how easily Aphrodite had persuaded him into joining her plan. It sounded fairly simple and as long as no one else knew about it and tried to get involved, it could really work out. Besides, Apollo felt like he needed a break from the destruction looming over Olympus. This... It could actually be something refreshing.

That's how the god found himself going back to the mortal world, disguised as a pretty (awesome) teenager and enrolling into high school. _Percy's high school_ to be exact.

* * *

 **A/N: Hello everyone! I hope this chapter was** **enjoyable enough and if you did enjoy it, I would warmly invite you to follow/favorite and review (really appreciated!). This is going to be Percy/Apollo. If you don't like the pairing, I would advise you to (not) read this story. But who knows, you could give it a shot and maybe** **actually enjoy it.**

 **I will try to update** **regularly, but you know... promises are made to be broken. _Or was it rules?_ Haha, who cares.**

 **Anyway, thanks for reading and don't forget to please review!**


	2. Chapter II

**Something Good**

 **Chapter II**

* * *

 _§_

 _High school_. What a magnificent experience. Apollo had always been intrigued by that particular phase in the life of modern era mortals. All the drama, the hot girls and guys, the art clubs... It was something he could delve into and relish. Of course, he had a task, but when did some little distractions hurt anyone?

It was a Monday morning. Late November. The sun was shining bright on the morning sky, reflecting Apollo's mood. The god had arrived in the high school's parking lot on his motorcycle, the loud roar of the engine turning heads here and there. He had thought about driving his Maserati, but decided against it when he remembered how excited Percy had been about that car model when they'd first met. He didn't want the son of Poseidon to get suspicious regarding his identity. Of course, based on the same reason, he had to come up with an alias for himself. He had debated over that issue with Aphrodite, who had firstly suggested that he take on the name of Olly. Big mistake. They had spent an entire day arguing about how Apollo found the name insulting and whatnot. In the end, they reached an agreement: Oliver Phoe. Apollo thought it was stupid, but Aphrodite had managed to convince him that it suited him well enough.

As he entered the high school's doors, all eyes landed on him. It was expected, since he looked like a young model: lean and muscular, tanned skin, a smile to die for, bright blue eyes and wavy blond hair. He flashed bright grins to those he passed on the hallways, girls giggling and whispering with their friends, guys ogling him with some kind of jealousy. After all, he was a god. Praise and admiration were welcomed and appreciated.

"Welcome to Goode High!" a melodic voice greeted him. "I am Marion, head of the cheerleaders."

Apollo found himself face to face with a tall, pretty girl. Her face was framed by locks of glossy black hair, her smile was controlled, but confident and her electric blue eyes, outlined with black coal, were round in anticipation. For a second, the girl made Apollo's mind wander to Thalia Grace.

A wide smile stretched his face, as he eyed her up and down, something that made her blush slightly.

"Hi, I'm Oliver," the god introduced himself.

"So, um, you must be new, right? I've never seen you around before."

Apollo nodded and chuckled. "I am. In fact, I was wondering if you could point me in the direction of the principal's office."

"Yeah!" Marion said a little too eager, then caught herself. "I mean, I wouldn't mind."

"Lovely," Apollo declared.

With that said, Marion gently wrapped her hands around Apollo's arm, turning to smile triumphantly at a group of girls who had been watching their conversation closely and whom Apollo assumed to be her friends.

After a few minutes of walking through the tightly student-packed corridors, the pair came to a stop in front of a mahogany door. A single silver plate that read MRS. ELICIA EBELING was pinned on its center.

"Here we are," announced Marion.

"Well, thank you, darling," beamed the god, giving the girl a small wink. "Marion, right?"

"Um, yeah," she smiled and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "I was wondering if you, um, if you'd like to hang out after classes?" the girl asked sheepishly, then added quickly, "Me and my friends usually meet at this nice coffeeshop, close to the school..."

Apollo shrugged and nodded. "Thank you for the invitation."

"So it's a _see you later_ then?" the girl asked hopefully, eyebrows raised.

The god smiled. "Maybe."

After that, the talk with the principal went fairly well. MRS. ELICIA EBELING received the new student warmly and gave him the schedule of his classes. Apollo had specifically chosen some so he could share them with Percy Jackson.

It was strange, the god was thinking. Percy hadn't talked to anyone in about a month, yet he was still going to school. Apollo had learned over the eons, though, not to question a mortal's actions. Their brains were simply wired differently than those of the gods. On a brighter side, he was thankful that the son of Poseidon was still attending classes. After all, it made the plan to befriend him easier.

Aphrodite had been pretty clear: Percy needed to escape the world of greek myths for a while, to escape into normality. She was thinking that earning his trust as a mortal friend could make him open up. Apollo hadn't argued. The goddess of love was usually right regarding people and what they needed. At first, the god of the sun had asked why she didn't go and befriend Percy herself, but she said that maybe a girl, a reminder of his girlfriend, wasn't exactly recommended and that Apollo would be a much better choice. He hadn't argued.

 _Of course he is always the better choice_.

* * *

§

Percy wasn't ready for school, but he went there anyway. He needed to forget about Annabeth, about how she... No. He stopped his mind from wandering any further. He couldn't put himself through that kind of pain over and over, every time his brain decided to slip back into those memories. Annabeth was... Well, she wasn't coming back. He could not explain to others what had happened. He had made an oath and, despite disagreeing with it, he had to keep his word.

Perhaps keeping his mouth shut wasn't his brightest decision, but what was there to say anyway? It was better like that. At least he was sure that he wasn't going to blurt out the truth to his friends. _His friends_. There was nothing Percy wanted more at that moment than to disappear from the face of the Earth. Everyone's questions, ' _what happened_ ', ' _why aren't you talking_ ', _'where is Annabeth_ ', _blah blah_ , they were driving him insane. He swore that the next person to ask any of them was getting punched in the face.

As usual, he was late for school. His mother had taken the car since she needed it to go to a meeting with a publisher, thus leaving him and Paul at the mercy of public transport (not that Percy had anything against it; most of his life he had used the subway or the city buses). But of course, chances were that Paul had left earlier and Percy still didn't know how he had woken up thirty minutes before first period and _still_ made it to that class.

When he entered the classroom, he smiled apologetically at his English literature teacher, Mr. Collins. The little, scrawny man merely glanced up from the book he was reading to the class, to see who had interrupted him. His hollow cheeks, thin, wrinkly lips and wolfish stare had always unsettled Percy in the strangest way.

Fortunately, the teacher didn't say anything and continued his previous activity without as much as a word addressed to the demigod. By now, most of the teachers knew better than to ask questions. Paul had explained how Percy was going through a difficult time in his life so the vast majority had chosen to simply ignore the boy for the most part.

Percy reached his seat in the back of the class and was on the point of sitting down, when someone clearing their throat made him freeze. His eyes widened in realization that he had almost sat down over someone else.

The one in front of him had his eyebrows raised and his eyes sparkled with amusement. His surfer look, the bronze skin, playful grin that bared his teeth, blue eyes and beach blond hair, it all struck Percy with an intense déja-vu feeling. He blinked a couple of times fazed by the resemblance this guy carried with his friend, Will Solace.

In the mean time, the longer he stared, the wider the guy's smile became.

"Sorry, was this your seat?" the surfer guy asked, though his smirk didn't falter even once.

After a couple of seconds, Percy nodded.

"Is there a problem back there?" Mr. Collins voice rang through the classroom. "Jackson, come sit here in the front. There's a vacant spot."

Neither Percy, nor the other guy broke eye contact for another five seconds. Finally, Percy sighed and turned around, marching towards the free seat under the glare of their teacher. Once he was settled, Mr. Collins took a deep breath and continued reading from his book, trying his best to do it in the most theatrical way possible.

Percy propped his chin in his palm, trying to listen to whatever the teacher was saying, but found himself turning his head around to look at his old seat. To his surprise, the guy was staring at him, making him quickly glance away and pretend he was just aimlessly gazing around the classroom. There was something so familiar about him, but the son of Poseidon couldn't place his finger on it. He just decided to blame it on his mood lately and ignore the guy.

After the class ended, Percy forgot all about his little encounter. That until lunch break.

The demigod took his food tray and was headed towards one of the empty tables in one of the corners of the cafeteria. As was his habit lately, the son of Poseidon was lost in thoughts when someone appeared in front of him. If it hadn't been for his ADHD and demigod reflexes, he would have spilt his fries and hamburger over the other.

"Wow, second time we almost clash in one day," the other one laughed. "It must be a record!"

Percy had stopped dead in his tracks and was staring at the other guy. He recognized him as the surfer from his English literature class. Trying not to make a fuss over it, the son of Poseidon smiled as to excuse himself and tried to push past the other boy.

"Hey, wait a second!" surfer boy called after him.

Percy stopped and raised an eyebrow.

"I wanted to apologize for taking your seat this morning," the blond said, then smiled as he extended his hand. "I'm Oliver."

His reaction took Percy by surprise. He had expected some snarky comment or some kind of bullying.

"What, cat ate your tongue?" the other boy laughed gleefully when Percy remained frozen in place.

Shaking his head, Percy snapped out of his reverie and extended his hand to grab the other's.

"I'm Per—" his voice came out like a broken cat mewl. He coughed and cleared his throat. The surprise on the other's face was also felt by Percy when he heard himself talk for the first time in a month.

"Percy Jackson," completed a feminine voice. "So much wasted potential of such a pretty face."

Both boys snapped their heads to the side, facing the one talking. Percy recognized her as Marion, big boss of the cheerleaders, as well as big time bully.

She eyed him up and down with a trace of antipathy in her expression, then landed her gaze on Oliver. Her smile widened the moment she laid eyes on him and a soft blush dusted her cheeks.

"Hey, Oliver!"

She batted her long lashes at the guy. Percy barely managed to stop himself from rolling his eyes.

"Well, hi there, Marion," replied Oliver with a hint of annoyance in his tone.

She either didn't catch it, or chose to ignore it.

"I wanted to invite you to stay with us," she said, gesturing towards a group of girls and guys rounded up around a table a few feet away.

Percy recognized some as the 'popular' students.

Oliver smiled appeasingly and reached out to stroke the girl's shoulder.

"I appreciate your invitation, Marion, but unfortunately I can't stay for lunch today. Maybe tomorrow, hm?"

The cheerleader narrowed her eyes and forced a grin.

"Yeah, sure, no problem!"

With that said, she was gone and so was the son of Poseidon.

Oliver seemed nice enough, like an easygoing due. It had shocked Percy immensely when he had found himself speaking earlier. Maybe it was just his stubbornness, but the demigod didn't want to crack up and start talking again just because a random guy had been nice to him. He admitted it though, that maybe a friend that wasn't related to the greek gods could be something he needed. Maybe it would help him take his mind off _her_.

* * *

§

Apollo felt like the day was a victory. He had encountered Percy twice and almost made him speak once. And that was a _great_ accomplishment. Of course, until pretty Marion decided to join in and make the son of Poseidon lose his confidence again. Despite all that, the god felt like he was on the right track. He felt like he could get closer to the demigod and enjoy high school at the same time. True, it would take some time, but he felt like he could make it.

Missing his last two classes because of an urgent council meeting on Olympus (that did _not_ go well), Apollo returned just as the doorbell rang FREEDOM and that to take his motorcycle. Outside was pouring with rain, a cold November-ish water shower.

The students had scattered quickly, but Apollo saw Marion waiting in the high school's yard with an umbrella over her head. She waved her hand at him and the god remembered how he had promised to hang out with her and her friends at the coffeeshop.

Just as he was about to hop off his bike, a certain son of Poseidon running through the rain without any jacket or umbrella caught the god's attention. He ignored Marion and ran up the engine, riding after the son of Poseidon.

* * *

§

Percy was ready to walk home through the rain. He needed to feel reinvigorated by the water and also clear his thoughts, something the forty minutes walk could provide. As he was running to get off the school's premises faster, he heard an engine roar loudly in the parking lot. Percy kept on walking, the sound of the motor growing gradually louder and louder, until a motorcycle, a beautiful red and gold Harley Davidson Sportster, stopped on the street next to him.

He stopped walking, frowning at the stranger on the bike. The so called stranger, dressed in a leather biker suit, raised the windshield of his helmet. A pair of familiar, sharp, blue eyes smiled at him.

"NEED A RIDE?" Oliver shouted to cover the loud engine and heavy rain.

For a moment, Percy pondered his possibilities. He could _walk_ home and clear his mind or he could _ride_ home and be a smart guy who hadn't just declined a once in a lifetime chance to drive on a bike like _that_.

"SO WHAT DO YOU SAY?"

The son of Poseidon took one more second before saying _fuck it_ and jumping on the motorcycle, behind the other guy.

"HOLD ON!" yelled Oliver as they launched them onto the street.

At his words, Percy grabbed the sides of the motorbike, trying to steady himself. Oliver was riding at an incredible speed, apparently knowing how to avoid the traffic jammed boulevards. Water was spraying in Percy's eyes and he felt the sudden urge to laugh and scream with enthusiasm.

At one particular turn, the bike got dangerously close to the ground. Percy's heart skipped a bit and out of instinct, he wrapped his arms around the other guy's waist. Heat rushed to his cheeks as soon as he realized his action and he quickly pulled his hands back. He could practically swear that the other one was laughing at him.

When they stopped at a red light, Oliver turned around, windshield raised.

"You can hold your arms like that if it's more comfortable," Oliver said, without screaming, and somehow Percy heard him with no problems. "It's not weird, if that's what your thinking. And it's actually a lot more safer."

"Oh," Percy muttered and felt a blush spread on his cheeks. He hadn't thought it was weird in _that_ way, it's just that most guys don't usually like to be held in that way by another guy, even if it doesn't imply anything of _that_ kind.

He reluctantly put his arms back around Oliver's waist.

"By the way, where do you live?"

"Oh," Percy muttered again with a dumbstruck expression. _Stupid_ , he thought. How could he forget to tell the other his address when he was supposed to ride him home... Percy shook his head at himself and told Oliver where they were headed.

Once they reached Percy's apartment building, more than an hour had already passed since classed had ended. Even after he had told Oliver his address, Percy felt like the guy purposely took more time and longer routes to get to his place so they could ride a little longer. Not that Percy was complaining.

The rain had stopped as well when they arrived. Percy was soaking wet (obviously on purpose). The guy took off his helmet and revealed his dry, now a bit frizzy hair. He was smiling broadly.

"Well, I'm happy I could offer you this ride home. You can ask for more anytime you want," Oliver chimed melodically.

Percy couldn't help the smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. "Um, thanks. You have a... really nice bike."

"Of course I do," grinned the blond. "Percy, right?" he asked after a short pause.

The demigod nodded. "Yeah, and you're Oliver."

"Uh huh."

"Then I guess, um, see you tomorrow," Percy concluded, scratching the back of his head.

"Sure thing!" Oliver winked and put his helmet back on.

Percy watched him go into the distance, then turned around towards his apartment building. As soon as he was faced with it, almost all of his enthusiasm died and the thoughts about his problems flooded him as if they'd never left. He was sure that when he'd step inside his house he would find one of his demigod friends waiting for him, asking him the thousandth time about Annabeth and _Percy could just not take that anymore_. Because Annabeth was gone and... and, and Percy could just not deal with that reality! _Dammit_!

A throbbing pain spread to his chest, his throat clenched and he felt the heat rush to his face as tears welled up in his eyes. He leaned against the side wall of the building and banged his head back against the cold wet bricks.

Oliver was nice. Percy couldn't wait to see him again the next day at school, even though something still felt extremely odd about the guy... It didn't matter anyway. Percy had prayed for a break from the world of myths and Oliver seemed like he was that break. A friend from the outside world... That prospect was extremely appealing to him. Yeah, he was sure that was what he needed. To spend his time with someone who didn't have anything to do with any gods or demigods or any myth or anything related to mythology in any way. _Oliver could do_.

* * *

 **A/N: Wow, phew, this was a long chapter. I hope you guys like it well enough! A huge thank you to** **everyone who has followed/favorited/reviewed. You guys are awesome!**

 **Again, I really** **appreciate reviews and I love reading what you guys think of the story. The more reviews I have, the happier I feel, thus the more motivated I get, the faster I update. It's a win-win!**

 **Anyway, I'll try to post the next chapter as soon as possible so stay close, everyone! And thanks again!**


	3. Chapter III

**Something Good**

 **Chapter III**

* * *

§

In the evening, Percy decided to go for a walk to clear his head. Fortunately, none of his friends had dropped by to nag him with their questions yet, and he was anxious to go out before one or more of them could pop by. So, he slipped on his shoes and jacket, and headed out into the street.

The sun was setting, tinting the sky with a deep reddish color and casting long shadows across the city. The sidewalk was packed with people hurrying somewhere, as always, and so was the road jammed with cars honking at each others. Percy strolled calmly, hands shoved in his pockets, not really paying attention to those around him. He was going to a nearby park that had a small lake where ducks would often swim.

Lost in his own head, he didn't notice a shadow moving shortly behind him, mirroring his every step and matching his every turn. No. He was thinking about Annabeth and the fact that he knew very well what had happened with her, although he couldn't tell anyone. Despite not wanting to, he thought back on the day she vanished.

 _It was a Friday evening, late October. They were playing the usual game of Capture the Flag at Camp Half Blood, but since most of the campers were home during school year, the usual excitement was missing. Neither Percy, nor Annabeth were supposed to be at Camp, but they had come for their monthly meeting with the crew of Argo II, a little habit they had settled into after the Second Giant War._

 _"Ready to get beaten, punk?" Clarisse laughed smugly._

 _"In your dreams, Clarisse," Percy replied as he adjusted his armor._

 _Chiron trotted to the front of the two teams, which had gathered at the edge of the woods._

 _"I will serve as an_ _arbiter and as well as a field medic for the game. The flags must be visible at all times. No intentional maiming is allowed. Red team takes the territory on the east side of the creek, blue team takes the west side."_ _He blew into a conch shell. "Let the game begin."_

 _Everyone lunged into the woods. Percy was on the blue team with Annabeth. He was on the offense, supposed to take the flag from the reds after some of his teammates created a diversion._

 _The sun had set, the sky still faintly glowing purple, but the thick canopy was blocking out most of the remaining light. Percy was sneaking towards the opposite team's base ground, waiting for the signal that the path was clear, when someone came behind him and grabbed his wrist._

 _He whirled around, startled, Riptide high in his other hand, ready to strike, then saw who the other person was._

 _"Annabeth? What's going on?"_

 _She pressed a finger to her lips and glared at Percy. "Shut up, Seaweed Brain, you're going to wake up the whole forest!"_

 _"Sorry," he whispered. "What's up?"_

 _Her face was concealed by the thick shadows around them, but Percy could tell she was hesitating._

 _"I, um— I need you to follow me."_

 _"Where?" he asked confused. "What about the game?"_

 _"I said keep your voice down!" she whispered in annoyance, then turned around and started walking without another word._

 _After a few seconds, he ran to catch up with her. Both of them walked in silence for a good twenty minutes. Percy was pretty sure he hadn't been in that part of the woods before. With every step, he felt like they were being watched, but whenever he turned around, nobody was there._

 _"Where are we going, Wise Girl? I have a bad feeling about this," he complained._

 _Annabeth puffed her cheeks as she sighed. "We're almost there."_

 _"But what's going on? You're acting weird."_

 _It was the truth. The daughter of Athena had been eerily silent the whole time and it was obvious how tense she was only by looking at the stiff way she walked. The situation was putting Percy on the edge, and it didn't help that he kept thinking they were being followed, which fueled up his uneasiness._

 _Soon, though, they arrived on a small glade. The moon had risen onto the sky, it's silver rays casting a faint glow into the opening of trees. Annabeth led him towards the center of the glade, where he noticed a basin filled with black water, and a black dagger next to it._

 _He gulped nervously._ _"Uh, Annabeth, I'm serious. You're scaring me."_

 _She took both of his hands in her own and brought them to her lips. In the moonlight, Percy could finally see her face clearly. He sucked in a breath as his heart sank to his_ _knees. Her eyes were glazed and her cheeks wet with tears._

 _"Percy," she said, her lower lip quivering as she spoke. "I need you to do something for me."_

 _"Anything, tell me what's wrong," he told her, a sense of urgency in his voice. He wanted to help, but seeing Annabeth like that scared him terribly._

 _"I need you to do something for me," she repeated with more determination, "but you have to swear on River Styx first."_

 _The request took him by surprise. He furrowed his brows as he tried do decipher the_ _intention behind his girlfriend's words._

 _"Annabeth—" he warned._

 _She interrupted him by wrapping him in a tight hug, and_ _buried her face in the crook of his neck. After a second, he returned the embrace, gently rubbing her back._

 _"Swear on Styx," she whispered in his ear. "Please, Percy."_

 _"But—"_

 _"Please!" she begged and held him at arms length. Her gray eyes were silently pleading for him to say yes._

 _Despite going against his will, Percy finally nodded._

 _"Okay, okay. I swear on River Styx to do what you're going to ask me."_

 _Annabeth exhaled, relieved, and let go of his arms, then bent down to pick up the dagger, which Percy had already forgotten about. A cold shiver slithered up his spine as Annabeth took his hand and placed the weapon in his open palm._

A car horn shook Percy out of his reverie. He realized with a start that he had stepped on the crosswalk at a red light and almost gotten himself run over. He raised his hand in apology at the driver, then stepped back onto the sidewalk, sighing deeply as he tried to escape his thoughts.

"Good day, isn't it?"

He turned his head and saw a petite old lady staring up at him. She had gray hair tucked under a patterned blue shall, her face was all wrinkly, like a raisin, and her eyes were hidden under a pair of droopy eyelids. Despite the old age, she seemed cheery, unlike most grumpy old people.

" _Mhm._ " Percy smiled and nodded shortly, then went back to staring straight ahead, wishing for the light to turn green faster. He was _not_ in the mood for that type of conversation.

Unfortunately, the lady didn't get the memo.

"You seem like a decent young fella," she continued in her raspy voice. "I would pay more attention to the shadows if I were you."

Percy was on the verge of nodding and giving an awkward laughter, when his brain processed the lady's words. His head snapped towards the her and his hand instinctively reached into his pocket, but right in that moment the light turned green. A crowd of people, including the old woman, crossed the street, leaving Percy confused and glued to the ground.

He looked around him, his heart beating a little faster, but didn't see anything out of the ordinary. He sighed with relief, even though traces of adrenaline still burned through his body.

 _I'm being paranoid_ , he thought to himself and jogged across the street right before the light turned red again. He dismissed the woman as some cray-cray old person, but in spite of that, he couldn't bring himself to calm down completely. The words had set him on alert mode and now, he was ready to pull Riptide out at any suspicious looking person or sound.

By the time he reached the park, it was already getting dark. The sky had turned dark blue and lampposts had lit up on the streets and in the park. Normally, it would have taken him about 15 minutes to get there, but this time, though, he had taken a longer route, spontaneously changing directions in case someone was indeed after him. He sauntered on an alley along the shore of the pond, watching the lights reflect in its murky water. A kid dressed in a yellow raincoat was playing with some sticks on the other shore of the pond.

All of a sudden, the kid disappeared under, as if something had pulled him into the lake. Percy froze. A woman screamed. Then, without second thoughts, he dashed into the water. It was freezing. Percy willed the currents to propel him to the other side, fast. In less then five seconds, he was in the place where the kid had been playing and dived to the bottom of the lake. Even though it was dark, he could "see" where everything was. The little kid was kicking at the water, tangled in a bunch of vines. For a moment, the weeds looked like tentacles, but in the blink of an eye they turned back to looking like water plants. Percy pulled out his sword and slashed the plants, then grabbed the kid and together they broke to the surface.

The little girl, as Percy could now tell, gasped for air as Percy swam towards the shore where a crowd of people had gathered.

"Oh, my baby!" A lady cried and hugged the child desperately, once they were out of the water, then smiled gratefully at Percy. "Thank you so much!"

Percy was shivering. He had let the water soak him so he wouldn't raise any questions, and now, the cold November air seemed freezing.

"No problem," he smiled at the mother, then ruffled the kid's hair. "Better be more careful next time," he addressed the little girl.

She watched him with a pair of big, round eyes. "Your sword was so cool! You killed the monster who grabbed me!"

"There are no such things as monsters, sweetie," the mother told the kid as she rubbed her with a fresh towel, probably brought by one of the bystanders, then smiled apologetically at Percy.

He told himself that was his cue to leave. He didn't know what the kid had seen, but something didn't feel right. For a moment he could've sworn he had seen the tentacles of a monster, but the next second they were just some vines.

After putting some distance between him and the group of people, he willed the water out of his clothes and dried himself. That's when he noticed it. A shadow, that couldn't have belonged to anyone or anything, passed over the lake. Without thinking, he dashed after it through the park. It was moving with an incredible speed, but Percy was set on keeping up with it. He almost ran into a hotdog booth once and into a couple walking leisurely on the alley, but he apologized whilst running.

The shadow, as if sensing it was being chased, took a sharp turn through some bushes. Percy got himself some scratches and twigs in his hair. Then, he ran straight into the street. A car swerved right to avoid him, and hit a hydrant, and another slammed on the brakes, startling the whole street. Percy jumped over its hood, keeping his eyes trained on the fast moving shadow. People were moving out of his way as he ran at top speed. The shadow disappeared behind a building and Percy bolted around the corner, only to collide with someone.

Both of them fell on their butts.

" _Ouch!_ "

"Sorry," Percy apologized, scrambling up, his eyes desperately searching for the shadow, but in vain. It was gone.

Then, he looked at the person he had just slammed into and his eyes widened.

"Oliver? What are you doing here?!"

Oliver pushed himself off the ground and rubbed his backside, frowning at Percy.

"Hello to you too. I live here," he answered, giving a short, incredulous laughter.

"Oh."

Percy heated up in embarrassment.

"What are _you_ doing here? And why are you running?" Oliver retorted.

"Um," Percy rubbed the back of his head. "I was chasing... Uh, you know what? Nevermind."

For a moment, Percy thought that Oliver was going to tell him off, but the guy broke into a grin.

"See you couldn't stay away from me for that long," he joked, batting his eyelashes flirtatiously.

Percy looked at him with an incredulous expression, before bursting into laughter.

"Yeah," he played along. "I guess I couldn't."

Oliver looked pleased with Percy's answer and widened his grin.

"Are you busy?" he asked.

The son of Poseidon shook his head.

"Great!" beamed the blond. "Come with me then, I was heading to Marion's place. She's throwing a party."

Half of Percy's enthusiasm died instantly at the sound of his schoolmate's name. He nervously scratched his nape.

"I uh— thanks, but no. I'm not exactly the partygoer type, you know."

"Oh," Oliver's face dropped for a short moment, then the smile returned to his tanned face. "Well, then, propose something. What do you want us to do?"

Percy almost choked. "No, no, you can go to the party. I mean, you should go to the party. I'll be on my way in a sec."

"Ah, nonsense," Oliver said in a singsong voice, waving a hand dismissively through the air. "Us, meeting here— it was fate!"

Percy laughed warily. "Gods, I hope not." His eyes widened. "I mean— not that I don't... not that you, um, I'm glad we met, I didn't mean it like—"

Oliver was watching him with amusement. "You're cute when you're babbling. It's okay, no offense taken."

If it was possible, Percy felt himself blush even more.

"So, what is it then?" Oliver continued. "Where should we go?"

Deciding he had made enough of a fool of himself, Percy cleared his throat and shrugged.

"Wherever you want."

* * *

§

It had absolutely not been Apollo's intention to run into Percy, but he was glad that it happened. It was true, Marion was throwing a party and had invited "Oliver", and Apollo knew that it was _rude_ to decline such an invitation. When he bumped into Percy, he was leaving to the said party from his apartment in Manhattan (gods indeed have residences among the mortals, for * _ahem_ * special occasions).

The son of Poseidon looked distraught when he literally slammed into Apollo, like his sole attention was focused onto something else in particular. Apollo didn't even get mad, even though under other circumstances he wouldn't have let such a disrespectful action go unpunished.

He was glad to have a reason to be more around the demigod, especially since Percy was actually talking to him.

"I have an idea," Apollo smirked.

He really enjoyed the flustered look on the boy, and made it his goal to keep it that way for as long as he could. Getting close to Percy was part of Aphrodite's plan, but in spite of that, Apollo had always enjoyed Percy's company. For one, he was pretty awesome (not more awesome than Apollo though), and two, he never seemed afraid to stand up to a god, something which Apollo found very intriguing.

"How about I let you drive my motorbike around the city?"

The face Percy made was priceless. His eyes went as round as they could, sparkling in the colorful lights of nearby neon signs, and his mouth shaped like the letter _o_.

"I... You mean...Really?" Percy mumbled in disbelief.

"Mhm," Apollo nodded and dangled the keys in front of Percy's face.

"But, I- I mean, I've never driven a motorcycle before... What if—"

"Oh, come on, Percy. It's easy. You'll get the hang of it pretty fast."

"But... How can you be sure? You don't even know me! I could like, kill us... or worse, totally destroy your bike," Percy blabbered.

"Well," Apollo paused for a moment, looking thoughtfully at him, "you're right. I _don't_ know you, but what I _do_ know, is how to have fun. And trust me, this will be fun."

* * *

They went into am underground parking lot, where the motorcycle was. Apollo showed Percy the basics: how to start the engine, how to shift gears and accelerate, and how to break. In Apollo's head, it was the easiest thing ever.

"Alright, your turn," he grinned at Percy and hopped off the bike.

The demigod looked at him one last time, as if to make sure that it was happening for real, then mounted the motorcycle.

"Wow..." he whispered in amazement, hesitatingly placing his hands on the controls.

"Come on, Percy, it doesn't bite. Let's start the engine and give the throttle a try."

The demigod pressed the start button and the engine revved to life with a satisfying purr.

"Okay, good. You're doing great so far, lighten up a little bit!"

Apollo squeezed Percy's shoulders. "Oh my, no wonder you are so tense. Those shoulders are as stiff as my uncle's—"

"Hey, okay, I don't need to hear that!"

"Hm, maybe, but I'm not lying about your shoulders," Apollo said as he kept giving them expertly placed squeezes.

"That's—" Percy tried to squirm away, but it was obvious he was enjoying the massage, "— _ah!_ That's, that's enough."

The demigod shrugged, escaping Apollo's hands, and moved to get off the motorcycle. His face was flushed, but his brows were scrunched up into a frown.

"I think that, uh, maybe... maybe I should go home still. See you tomorrow—"

"Wait!"

Apollo grabbed his wrist as he turned to go. Percy tensed and stopped, trying to free his arm, but the god held firm.

"What?" Percy said with a hint of annoyance in his voice.

With a sigh, Apollo let go of Percy's hand. Despite being an obnoxious god, who seemed not to notice or care how the ones around him felt, deep down, Apollo knew when he did something that wasn't quite all right.

"I want to apologize if I did something wrong," he said. The words came out strained and had a foreign taste in his mouth, since he wasn't used to saying them.

Percy sighed and instantly he appeared as a calmer version of himself. The gesture reminded Apollo of Poseidon and how he could go from livid to peaceful, or the opposite, in the blink of an eye.

"It's okay," Percy explained. "The thing is, I'm not used to people being this... _friendly_ to me for no reason. And especially since you're a guy, you know."

Apollo almost snorted, but instead he raised his eyebrows and looked at the Percy with an amused face. "What does being a guy have to do with that?"

Percy shrugged and averted his eyes. "It's just that— I mean, you know... I am a guy, you are a guy, and I don't..." With every word, he sounded more and more frustrated, until he clamped his lips and folded his arms over his chest, as if waiting for a reaction.

"Look," Apollo sighed and ran a hand through his golden curls, "I hope you know that it's okay to be gay—"

"But I know that!" Percy snapped, eyes widening. "I have friends who are gay, so don't think I am against it or whatever."

"Well, you're the one who brought this up, with _we're both guys_ and so on."

"Because you've been acting way too friendly, at school and now here, driving me home, letting me ride your motorbike, massaging my shoulders!" Percy argued, then lowered his voice which had increased in volume. "I'm not stupid, I know flirting when I see it."

"You thought I was... flirting?" Apollo asked in bewilderment.

"I mean... Yeah? Why would you act this way unless you... unless you aren't who you say you are." Percy stopped himself as if electrocuted, his sea-green eyes narrowed accusingly and he clenched his fists. "How was I so stupid! I should have known the minute you walked into my school!"

Apollo raised his hands in a placating manner, his smug expression melting of his face. "Whoa, Percy, hold on a minute. What are you talking about?"

The demigod was seething with rage. His lips were curled into a snarl and his eyes were already murdering Apollo with their intense glare.

He huffed. "It's you, Apollo, isn't it? You just invented this Oliver persona so you could... so you could, ugh! You gods have no boundaries, you are just some heartless pieces of—"

"Whoa, Percy, I have no idea what you're talking about, seriously!" Apollo lied, but on the inside he was already getting angry himself. How dare he call gods—call _him_ — pieces of!

The lights flickered for a moment in the wide parking lot, but both of them were too caught up in their fight to notice.

"Really?" Percy asked in a mocking way. His eyes burned wildly. "Then you won't mind if I do this—"

Before Apollo could react, Percy had already uncapped his sword and stabbed forward through the god's stomach.

"How dare you!" Apollo cried out, boiling with anger.

He was ready to blast the ungrateful demigod to pieces, when he noticed the petrified look on his face. That's when Apollo finally looked at the stab wound. Or more exactly, at where the stab wound was supposed to be. Percy was still in the attack position, with his hand thrust forward and his sword embedded in Apollo's guts. The funny thing was, the celestial bronze sword had passed right through him, like he was a hologram.

There was minute of silence, both of them registering what had just happened.

"I— I'm so sorry!" Percy finally stammered as he apologized, and drew back his weapon. "I thought you were... Oh gods," he cringed, "Oliver, I am so sorry."

Apollo traced his fingers over his abdomen, ignoring the demigod. Where golden ichor was supposed to be gushing out, he didn't even have a scratch.

* * *

 **A/N: Hey everyone!**

 **I want to start by saying that I am _so_ sorry for not updating in so long. Hopefully, from now on, updates will be posted regularly. *fingers crossed***

 **Secondly, I want to say thank you to everyone who has** **reviewed, favorited an followed. You, my friends, are awesome!**

 **Third of all, I have changed the rating from T to M. I've given it some thought, and this story is going to have some mature content. So if you're uncomfortable with that... well, you know the best.**

 **And lastly, I hope you've enjoyed this chapter! I would love to hear your thoughts in the reviews, since those are what keep me motivated and the story going. As you can see, the relationship build between Percy and Apollo is going to be _slow burn._ At least, that's what I'm aiming for. **

**Anyway, thank you for reading and stay tuned for the next chapter!**


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